Royal Internal Congress Colegio Real de Panamá Security council Drug traffic on a worldwide scale Joshua Harris Moderador Gabriel Garcia Co-Moderador 5 y 6 de Octubre de 2017 1
Dear delegates, Welcome to the Security Council committee and the fifth edition of the Royal Internal Congress. It is our pleasure to moderate this committee this year. Joshua Harris is 16 years old and he is someone who is very determined when he wants to achieve something. He has been an active member of the debate club since 2015. As for experience, he has participated in leadership programs such as the National Hispanic Institute, and he has also participated in national debate conferences like CEP MOAS, Foro David Robles, Einstein and MET conference. Gabriel García is an 18 year old who has been an active member of the debate club since 2017. He participated in the LDZ leadership program by NHI, where he showed excellent leadership and notable determination. He has also participated in debate conferences such as Foro David Robles, MET and RIC. He has always had outstanding oratory skills and is very passionate about debate; especially regarding topics of worldwide importance and depth. This year we have chosen the topic Drug traffic on a worldwide scale. It is a very complex topic and requires a lot of study but we are sure that all of you will have an exceptional debate. Good luck, see you on October 5 th! Joshua Harris Moderador Jharrismoreno@gmail.com Gabriel García Co-Moderador gabrielgw98@gmail.com 2
Security council is a committee dedicated to addressing the worldwide drug trade and all its elements: the substances being smuggled, the smugglers and consumers, the routes used for trafficking these drugs, and the laws and treaties penalizing this trade. What is drug trafficking? Drug trafficking is a global illicit trade involving the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of substances that are subject to drug prohibition laws. It is said to be the world s third largest economy. Its estimated net worth is approximately $430 billion a year, and it supplies illicit drugs for over 250 million people worldwide. Major drugs and transport routes Opioids and opiates. Opiates make up all the drugs derived directly from the opium poppy, while opioids are drugs that bind to opioid receptors in the brain and simulate the effects of opium. Traditionally used for pain-relief, legal opioids include synthetic drugs such as OxyContin, morphine, codeine and fentanyl. Heroin, an opioid made from morphine, is the third most widely consumed illegal drug in the world, and its consumption has been on the rise worldwide for the past decade. In the United States Alone, an estimated 4,500,000 million people have used heroin, while there are over 12 million estimated frequent users worldwide. It is the deadliest illicit drug in existence and its market has a net worth of around $55 billion, with 327 tons produced in 2016 alone. Heroin is mainly produced in Afghanistan, Mexico and The Golden Triangle in Southeast Asia, which encompasses Thailand, 3
Myanmar and Laos. About a third of all Afghan heroin travels through Iran and Turkey to the Balkans, and then into Europe, while the rest is trafficked into Central and East Asia, Russia, and Africa. The same route is followed by Golden Triangle, while Mexican heroin mostly floods the United States and Latin America. Cocaine Cocaine is a stimulant drug made from the leaves of the coca plant, native to South America. It is the second most widely consumed illegal drug in the world, and its market is worth approximately $80 billion worldwide. It is also among the most addictive illicit drugs, with a worldwide userbase of over 18 million people. The main producer and exporter of cocaine is Colombia, which produces between 500 and 850 tons of cocaine each year. Colombia is followed by Peru and Bolivia as the second and third largest producers in the world. South American cocaine passes through Central America and before it s smuggled into the United States through Mexico, where the Mexican drug cartels transport it. The Dominican Republic is the primary source of cocaine smuggled on flights to Europe. Venezuela also acts as a smuggling bridge to West Africa and Europe. Methamphetamine Methamphetamine is a highly addictive amphetamine-derived drug that originated as an attempt to create stimulant medication by farmaceutical companies in the United States, but was deemed too dangerous to be available to the public, and is now considered an illicit drug. It has an estimated userbase of around 20 million people, and its market is estimated to have a net worth of over $20 billion. In 2016 alone, 108 tons of meth were seized worldwide. 4
Methamphetamine is rampant in Asia, with China, Myanmar, and Indonesia being the main providers. Besides covering the local market, Asian methamphetamine also moves to Australia, which is the second largest methamphetamine consumer in the world. 90% of all the methamphetamine consumed in the United States is produced in Mexico, and Mexican cartels handle also handle operations in Nigeria, the Philippines, and Europe. MDMA/Ecstasy MDMA is an amphetamine-type stimulant with hallucinogenic and stimulant properties that is commonly taken as a party drug. It can be taken in powder or tablet form. There are an estimated 19 million ecstasy users worldwide, and its market has an estimated net worth of $16 billion. Pure MDMA is typically uncommon, and it tends to be cut with other drugs. MDMA is mainly produced in the Netherlands and the UK. Dutch and British manufactorers export their pills all over Europe using both conventional transport methods and the darknet. In North America, Canada is the main producer of MDMA and the main supplier for the United States. Cannabis Cannabis is the most widely used drug, with 182 million users worldwide and a market net worth of around $300 billion. It can come in herbal, resin or hash form. Even though it is illegal in most of the world, efforts to legalize it are being made in different countries, causing a complex legal status for cannabis. There are 135 countries that produce cannabis in different amounts. Cannabis supply is so widespread that in many cases 5
certain countries can settle for producing locally. In the United States and Canada, legal cannabis growth has spread over the last decade, while the plant retains its illicit status in Mexico. Colombia and Paraguay are the two largest providers in South America. The largest providers in the world is Morocco, in Africa, which is followed by Nigeria and South Africa in the region. In Asia, cannabis grows wild all over the Himalays and Central Asia, which makes Afghanistan and India the main producers in ther region. In Europe, the Netherlands allows for the legal growth and distribution of cannabis, making it one of the largest producers in the world. Frontier issues In Asia, the most heated international borders are the India/Pakistan, Afghanistan/Pakistan and Afghanistan/Iran borders. Most of the opiates coming out of Afghanistan travel to the Pakistani cities of Quetta and Karachi, where they can be shipped all over the world. The rest of the opiates that make it to Pakistan and are not sold glonbally are sent to India. The Afghanistan/Iran border serves as a bridge to supply the Iranian heroin market and to move heroin through the Balkan route to Europe. The land borders between Morocco and Spain in Ceuta and Melilla, as well as the maritime border in the Gibraltar Strait, are where most of the cannabis smuggled into Spain and the rest of Europe is moved around. The US-Mexico border is notorious for drug smuggling. Over 90% of all the drugs flowing into the United States pass through its Southern border. Cannabis, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine are the main exports that make it across the border. In recent years, there has been a notable increase in heroin smuggling, while cannabis smuggling has decreased. 6
This issue bolletin is the first step for preparing the commitee. However, individual research is highly recommended. The success of this commitee is up to each and every one of you. No commitee can be successful if its delegates are not properly prepared and motivated to participate. Header Position paper guidelines Top right corner Spacing: simple Font: Times New Roman (bold) Name Classroom/Grade Country Email Content Font: Times New Roman Font size: 12 Spacing: 2,0 Alignment: justified Indent on the first line 7